Беседа 19

Spoken to the people in the Church of St. Lawrence the Martyr on the 17th week. Reading the Holy Gospel: Matthew 20.1–16. Matthew 20.1–16. For the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. and, having agreed with the workers for a denarius per day, he sent them into his vineyard; going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idly in the marketplace, and he said to them, “Go you also into my vineyard, and whatever is proper I will give you.” They went. Coming out again around the sixth and ninth hours, he did the same. Finally, going out about the eleventh hour, he found others standing idly, and said to them: Why have you been standing here all day idly? They tell him: no one hired us. He says to them: You also go into my vineyard, and you will receive what follows. When evening came, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning from the last to the first. And those who came about the eleventh hour received a denarius. Those who came first thought that they would receive more, but they also received a denarius; and having received it, they began to murmur against the owner of the house and they said: these last worked one hour, and you made them equal to us, who endured the burden of the day and the heat. He answered and said to one of them: friend! I don't offend you; Did you not agree with me for a denarius? take yours and go; I want to give this last one the same as I gave you; Don't I have the power to do what I want? Or is your eye envious because I am kind? So the last will be first, and the first last, for many are called, but few are chosen. 1. Reading the Holy Gospel in order to explain it requires a lot of explanatory language, but I want, if I can, to speak briefly so as not to burden you with both a lengthy service and a lengthy explanation. The Kingdom of Heaven is called like an owner who hires workers to cultivate his vineyard. Who more justly maintains this likeness with the owner, if not our Creator, Who governs those created by Him, and disposes of His chosen ones in this world, just as the master of a house rules those under him? He has a vineyard, that is, the Universal Church, which from the righteous Abel to the last chosen one, who will be born at the end of the world, has produced as many Saints as she has grown, as it were, vines. So, this owner hires workers to cultivate his vineyard early in the morning, at the third hour, at the sixth, ninth and eleventh, because from the beginning of this world until its end He does not cease to gather preachers to teach the believing people. For the morning of the world flowed from Adam to Noah; and the third hour is from Noah to Abraham, the sixth is from Abraham to Moses, the ninth is from Moses until the coming of the Lord, and the eleventh is from the coming of the Lord until the end of the world. At this hour the Holy Apostles were sent as preachers, who, having arrived late, received the full reward. So, the Lord did not at any time cease to send workers to teach His people, as if to cultivate His vineyard, because first through the Patriarchs, then through the Teachers of the Law and Prophets, and, finally, through the Apostles, when He corrected the morals of His people, as if working to cultivate the vineyard through workers. However, to a certain extent, or degree, in this vineyard everyone who combined good deeds with the right faith was a worker. So, the worker in the morning means that ancient Jewish people who, from the very beginning of the world, trying through their chosen ones to honor God with the right faith, never ceased to work on cultivating the vineyard. But at the eleventh (hour) the pagans are called, to whom it is said: “Why are you standing here all day idly?” For those who, during such a long period of peace, did not want to work for their life, stood as if idle all day long. But discuss, brethren, what those asked answer, “they say to him: no one hired us”; because not a single Patriarch, not a single Prophet came to them. And what does it mean to say: “no one hired us to work,” if not that “no one preached to us about the ways of life!” So, what will we say in apology for us, who do not do good, we who almost from our mother’s womb came to faith, who listened to the words of life from the very cradles and with bodily milk received from the breasts of the Holy Church the drink of the highest sermon? 2. But we can apply the same differences of hours to each person according to the times of ages. Because morning is the childhood of our understanding. By the third hour we can understand adolescence because when the ardor of years increases, then it is as if the sun is already rising to a height. But the sixth (hour) is youth because when the fullness of strength develops in it, then it is as if the sun is at noon. By the ninth (hour) we mean old age, in which the sun seems to descend from the midday height, because this age has already lost the glow of youth. The eleventh hour is the age that is called old age, or decrepitude. Why do the Greeks call very old people not old men, but elders (not γεροvταζ but πρεσβυτέρεζ) in order to suggest that they are more than old people, who are called profound old men (prouectiores). So, since some are led to a virtuous life from childhood, others in youth, others in courage, others in old age, others in extreme old age, then they are called laborers in the vineyard from different hours. Therefore, beloved brethren, pay attention to your morals and see if you are workers of God. Let each one consider what he is doing and consider whether he is working in the vineyard of the Lord. For whoever in this life seeks only his own does not yet enter the vineyard of the Lord. Those who work for the Lord are those who think not about their own, but about the Lord’s profit, who have zeal for love, zeal for piety, are active in winning souls, and are in a hurry to lead others to life. For whoever lives for himself, who feeds on the pleasures of his flesh, is rightly accused of idleness, because he does not bear the fruit of Divine work. 3. But whoever neglected to live for God even to the last age, stood idle, as it were, until the eleventh hour. Therefore, it is rightly said to those who stand idle until the eleventh hour: “Why do you stand here all day idly?” It is clearly stated as follows: if you did not want to live for God in your youth and courage, then at least come to your senses in your later years; and although you are no longer able to work hard for the paths of life, still go on late. So, the owner calls those too; and for the most part they receive their reward earlier, because they pass from the body to the Kingdom earlier than those who were called from their youth. Is it not at the eleventh hour that the thief comes, who was late, although not in years, but in punishment, who confessed God on the cross and almost with this voice of confession gave up the spirit of life? “The owner begins issuing the denarius with the last one, because he first led the thief to the heavenly peace of Peter. How many fathers were there before the Law? How much is under the Law? – And yet those who were called to the coming of the Lord came to the Kingdom of Heaven without any delay. So, those who have worked since eleven (hours) receive the same denarius, which those who worked with full desire from the first (hour) received; because those who came to the Lord at the end of the world received an equal reward of Eternal Life with those called from the beginning of the world. Therefore, those who worked longer say with a murmur: “these last worked for one hour, and you made them equal to us, who endured the burden of the day and the heat.” Those who have labored since the beginning of the world have endured the severity of the day and the heat; and since they happened to live here for a long time, it was necessary to endure the most prolonged temptations of the flesh. For for everyone, enduring the heaviness of the day and the heat means fatigue during a long life from the heat of his flesh. 4. But one may ask, how were those who were late called to the Kingdom subject to murmuring? For none of those who murmur receive the Kingdom of Heaven; and no one can complain who receives. But since the ancient Fathers before the coming of the Lord, no matter how righteously they lived, were not introduced into the Kingdom until He who opened the abodes of paradise for people through His death descended, then this very murmur of theirs consists in the fact that they lived out their lives righteously for the sake of receiving the Kingdom, and yet were not allowed to receive the Kingdom for a long time. For whoever, according to perfect justice, was accepted even into the quiet places of hell, it was truly natural for him to both toil in the vineyard and to grumble. So, as if after grumbling, those who, after a long stay in hell, moved on to the joys of the Kingdom receive a denarius. We, who came at the eleventh hour, after labor do not grumble and receive a denarius, because after the coming of the Mediator coming into this world, we are introduced into the Kingdom immediately as we leave the body, and without delay we receive what the ancient fathers deserved to receive with great delay. That is why the same Master says: “I want to give this last one the same as I gave you.” And since the very receipt of the Kingdom is an expression of the goodness of His will, He rightly adds: “Am I not able to do what I want in my own life?” For man’s question against God’s favor is foolish. Because one would have to complain not about the fact that He does not give what He should not give, but about the fact that He does not give what He should have given. “Or is your eye envious because I am kind?” But let no one be proud of either the deed or the time, when then the Truth cries out with this full thought: “So the last will be first, and the first last.” For here we are, although we already know what, or how much good, we have done, we still do not know with what subtlety the Supreme Judge will test this. And everyone should rejoice precisely in being even the last in the Kingdom of God. 5. But after this, what follows is very scary: “for many are called, but few are chosen,” because many come to faith, but few are brought to the Kingdom of Heaven. For so many of us flocked to today’s celebration, we fill the walls of the Church; and yet, who knows how few there are who could be numbered among this flock of God's chosen ones? For the voice of everyone calls to Christ, but life does not cry to everyone. Many follow God in words, but flee from Him in morals. That is why Paul says: they say that “they know God, but by works they deny” (Titus 1.16). That’s why James says: “faith without works is dead” (James 2.20, 26). Therefore, through the Psalmist, the Lord says: “I would like to preach and speak, but they exceed the number” (Ps 39.6). For, at the call of the Lord, believers multiply “more than the number,” because sometimes those who do not belong to the number of the elect come to faith. For here, because of their confession, they are counted among the believers, but there, because of their wicked life, they do not deserve to be counted among the believers. This sheepfold of St. The Church receives the goats along with the lambs, but, according to the Gospel, when the Judge comes, he will then separate the good from the evil, “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25.32). For those who here indulge in the pleasures of their flesh cannot be numbered among the sheep there. There, the Judge excommunicates those who here butt with the horns of pride from the fate of the humble. Those cannot receive the Kingdom of Heaven, who here, even placed in the Heavenly Faith, strive with full desire for the earth. 6. And you, beloved brethren, see many of these within the Church, but you should neither imitate them nor despise them. For today we see that he is, but we do not know what each will be tomorrow. For the most part, even those who seem to be walking behind us are ahead of us in good deeds; and tomorrow we will hardly catch up with the one whom today, it seemed, we preceded. It is known that when Stephen died for the Faith, Saul guarded the clothes of those stoning him. Consequently, it was he himself who threw the stones with the hands of those stoning, who put to disgrace all those experienced in throwing stones; and despite the fact that, through his labors in the Holy Church, he was ahead of the very one whom he made a Martyr through persecution. So there are two subjects we must discuss carefully. – Since many are called, but few are chosen, then, firstly, it is necessary that each person does not think much about himself; because, although he has already been called to faith, he does not know whether he will be awarded the Eternal Kingdom. Secondly, it is necessary that everyone should not dare to despair of his neighbor, whom he perhaps sees wallowing in vices; because he does not know the riches of God's mercy. 7. I am telling you, brothers, about an event that happened recently, so that when you see determined sinners, you will be all the more in awe of the mercy of Almighty God. – This year, a certain brother comes to my monastery, located near the Church of the Holy Martyrs John and Paul, to repent; he was received with love, but he repented with even greater love (Conversation, book 4, chapter 38). His brother followed him to the monastery according to the flesh, but not according to the heart. For highly condemning the life of repentance and maintenance, he lived in the monastery as a guest, and by morals withdrawing from monastic life, he could not leave monastic life because he either did not have anything to do or something to live. His wickedness was painful for everyone, but everyone complacently tolerated him for his love for his brother. For he, being proud and fickle, did not know whether there would be any other life after the present age, but he laughed at anyone who wanted to preach to him about it. So, he lived in the monastery according to the custom of the century: flighty in words, fickle in his movements, puffed up in mind, dandy in his clothes, absent-minded in his activities. But in the month of July, which had recently passed, he was struck by the disease of that ulcer that you know about. As he approaches his end, he begins to feel the need to die. And after the preliminary death of the terminal parts of the body, vital force remained in only the chest and tongue. The brothers gathered and guarded the outcome as much as they could, by the mercy of God, through prayer. But he, suddenly seeing that a dragon is coming to devour him, begins to shout in a loud voice, saying: “I am given over to be devoured by the dragon, who cannot devour me because of your presence here. Why are you stopping him for me? Give me room so he can devour me.” And when the brethren exhorted him to mark himself with the sign of the cross, then he answered as forcefully as he could, saying: “I want to cross myself, but I cannot, because the dragon is strangling me. The foam from his mouth covers my face, my throat is choked by his mouth. Now my muscles are compressed by him, he has already grabbed my head in his mouth.” And when he, turning pale and trembling and dying, said this, then the brethren began to intensify their prayers even more, and with their prayers to help those who were oppressed by the dragon. Then he, unexpectedly freed, began to shout in a loud voice, saying: “Thanks be to God, now he has retreated, now he is coming out; From your prayers the dragon flees and has seized me.” He immediately made a vow to serve God and be a monk; However, from that time until now he has suffered from fevers and been tormented by illnesses. Since he was given over to long-term and lasting vices, he suffers from prolonged relaxation, and his cruel heart burns out the most severe fire of purification. For, by Divine decree, it was arranged that long-lasting vices should be burned out by long-lasting illness. Who would believe that he would ever be saved for repentance? Who is able to discuss such mercy of God? - Here, a wicked young man at death sees the dragon whom he served in life, he sees not in order to completely lose his life, but in order to know whom he served, so that, knowing - resist, resisting - defeat him; and he sees the one who was in power before, without seeing, so that after that he will no longer be in his power. So, what language is able to express the incomprehensible mercy of God? What mind would not think with such a wealth of love? The Psalmist discussed this wealth of Divine love when he said: “God is my protector, my God who has mercy on me” (Ps 58.18). So he, discussing the difficulties in which human life is placed, called God a helper; and since He receives us from this misfortune into eternal peace, He also calls Him “receiving Him.” But reasoning that He sees our vices and endures, condescends to our guilt, and despite this through repentance preserves us for rewards, he did not want to call God merciful, but called Him mercy itself, saying: “My God, my mercy.” So, let us remember the vices that we have committed, let us consider with what kindness God tolerates us; Let us consider how incomprehensible His love is, so that He not only spares guilt, but also promises the Kingdom of Heaven to those who repent; and from all the thoughts of the heart we say, each on his own: “My God, my mercy” - You, who live and reign, Trinity in Unity, and One in Trinity, to the endless ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: